Apparatus and a method for forming space sections in a slide fastener

Abstract

The present invention concerns a slide fastener making machine designed to produce space sections of required span devoid of coupling elements at predetermined intervals in the interengaged slide fastener chain and a method for the same. The present apparatus includes: die means facing the fastener tapes for supporting the slide fastener chain horizontally; punch means disposed on the coupling elements side and being reciprocably movable toward the coupling element, said punch means having at the end surface a pair of laterally spaced apart cutting edges for cutting the upper leg portion of the pair of interengaged coupling elements at the connecting reversed portion side of the sewing thread and a gripping projection disposed centrally between the pair of the cutting edges for pressing the upper leg portions adjacent the interengaging head portions of the interengaged coupling elements; ejector means disposed in the die means reciprocably movable toward the gripping projection of the punch means, said punch means being upwardly movable in response to the upward movement of the ejector means while the upper leg portions adjacent to the interengaging head portions of the interengaged coupling elements is gripped between the edge of the ejector means and the gripping projection of the punch means; and means for holding the pair of fastener tapes. The coupling elements cut by the cutting edges or the dismembered coil fragments are suitable flattened by the gripping projection of the punch and the ejector so that they are released of the clinching tension of the sewing thread and get loose enough to be pulled out easily.